Uploads from Okinawa Soba, tagged shrine

PAPA DOES THE BABYSITTER THING AT THE INARI SHRINE in OLD KYOTO, JAPAN (Detail)

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:16:32 -0700

PAPA DOES THE BABYSITTER THING AT THE INARI SHRINE in OLD KYOTO, JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:16:56 -0700

In old photos of Japan, it's not often that you see Japanese men with kids conked out on their backs.

Here is one baby sitter, toys in hand, who is keeping his grounds-keeper friend company as he takes a break from sweeping the dirt.

If there is one thing the Japanese do with a passion, it's sweep dirt.

Back up about 50 feet, wait about 10 years, and this is what you get (The twin tunnels can be seen through the entryway of LARGER Torii that men are working on) : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2328678702/

MORE BABYSITTERS : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2311932176/

♣

Ca.1890-95 large albumen. Photographer unknown. Titled in the negative as M 21, FUSHIMI INARI, KIOTO SHINTO.

RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

DEAR GOD, PLEASE LET ME WIN THE LOTTERY....

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:57:34 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

This prayer is prayed in every language of every country where Lotteries are allowed.

In fact, God recently told me that he gets more "Lottery Prayers" than any other kind --- especially for the American POWER BALL and MEGA MILLIONS !!!.

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There are as many Shrines and Temples in Japan as there are fleas on a junkyard dog. In fact, the numbers probably rival the amount of Churches, Chapels, Synagogues, Temples, Shrines, Mosques, and Missions in the USA ! That is to say, we human beings --- no matter what our country and culture --- are a very religious life form.

In Japan, most of the Shrines and Temples I've seen make an effort to accommodate nature in many varied and picturesque ways.

In the USA, it is not uncommon these days for places of religious worship to bulldoze a 200-meter perimeter around any structure, pave over the land with a big parking lot, and plant some token grass on any spots left over.

There is even one Church in Garden Grove, California that is made almost entirely of Glass. These folks have more faith than most, as they built their "Crystal Cathedral" right on top of a major earthquake fault zone !

Of course, the entire nation of Japan is one big fat earthquake zone. And based on what has happened to them repeatedly in the past, gives the Japanese great faith in the faithfulness of earthquakes --- and all of the forces of nature --- to eventually bring down what man has created.

Not too long ago in Okinawa, police were called to divert traffic around three old ladies who were worshiping and appeasing spirits as they sat on the asphalt in the middle lane of the three north-bound lanes of Highway 58.

A fortune-telling Shaman had told them that one of their long-lost ancestors had met his end there in some unfortunate manner long before written history began (or the road was built), and that they must go there and pray for the release of his Spirit.

In any other nation, the police would have dragged them out of the road. But here, the police understood the precedence of both the gods and culture over the laws of man.

So, as the vehicles approaching in the middle lane were directed by the police to merge left or right in order to get around the old women who were caught up in prayer, the traffic backed up for miles.

Okinawa Soba, who is a complete agnostic (read : back-slidden atheist), thought the whole affair was rather amusng.

Where else in the world could three elderly ladies in their 80s and 90s walk unmolested into three lanes of heavy traffic, part the vehicles like Moses parted the Red Sea, and get Police cooperation in backing up a combined one million horsepower of revving engines made by the arrogance of man and his machines ?

Like I said, it was pretty amusing....and very cool.

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For more on the photographer of attribution see : www.t-enami.org/

For the MOTHERLODE of T. Enami photographs here on the Web --- all CC rated for your creative use --- see this Flickr collection : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

LOOKING OUT FROM THE OLD SEA CAVE OF ENOSHIMA in MEIJI-ERA JAPAN 江の島

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:06:53 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

We are on the back side of the island of Enoshima; as the crow flies, just 22 kilometers southeast of Benten Street in Yokohama .

It is about 120 years ago, and Japanese photographer KIMBEI KUSAKABE has dragged his camera all the way from his Benten Street studio --- just to get this shot. The resulting image seen above would inspire others to do the same, but nobody seemed to catch it as well as this early attempt by Kimbei, especially with his artistic arrangement of silhouetted figures.

After KIMBEI left Benten Street to relocate his studio a few blocks away, his acquaintance and friendly competitor --- the younger T. ENAMI, who had just opened his own studio on Benten Street --- would eventually come to this same cave and turn his big view-camera around, focusing his lens toward the back of the cave. Who knows how long he waited for the even dimmer light to paint the picture on his glass-plate negative.....

Enami ended up capturing a view of the Shinto Shrine and two worshiping women at the back of the cave, whispering their words to the gods as the sound of water lapping at the rocks filled the cavern.

Turn and look back into the cave here :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/4185670494/

Kimbei's photo above is also posed, of course. I wonder how many seconds they had to hold that pose ? They might be the boatmen who brought Kimbei to the cave, and are waiting for him to finish his picture taking. Not an easy thing to get this photo back then.

Big camera, bulky tripod, large and heavy glass-plate film holders. If this was made using "wet plate" technology, it was even more of a hassle !

The more you know what these guy's had to do to take and make a photo back then, the more you have to appreciate even the NOT so good shots that tourists still snapped up from their intrepid cameras.

♥ Here's a SIMILAR SHOT by another 19th Century Photographer : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/7099105117/

GUESS WHAT'S RIGHT OVER YOUR HEAD ON TOP OF THE CLIFF ?

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2454239554/

Photos that have you looking through caves or ice tunnel are personal favorites, especially in 3-D !

江の島明治時代明治

Hand-tinted albumen print. 日下部金兵衛 (1841 - 1934)

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RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

THE OLD TORII IN THE SEA AT MIYAJIMA FLOATS ABOVE ITS REFLECTION in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:41:18 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

With so much peripheral matter subdued in the image, it's about as "minimalist" as you can get for this subject.

I'm not sure who the photographer is, but it came with a group of large, hand-tinted albumen photos that were all about 110 to 120 years old.

For more Torii Gates --- including many beautiful compositions that feature the above Torii near Hiroshima --- please click here : www.flickr.com/search/?w=24443965@N08&q=Torii&m=tags

RUSTIC ROAD THROUGH THE OLD TORII ON THE WAY TO GONGEN SHRINE IN THE VILLAGE OF HAKONE in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:30:29 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

What a lovely rustic road, whose picturesque path takes you through the quaint old village of Hakone, nestled on the mountains of Japan on the shores of Lake Ashi, a part of which you may see shimmering in white on the left.

As for the Torii Gate, it leads to a famous Shinto Shrine in Hakone. The original caption on the old print calls the Shrine a "Temple", which is a common misnomer among foreigner, though not helped by the Japanese who are also known for placing Torii at some Buddhist Temples as well ! I make a few kind comment about this nebulous situation at this photo :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/3568890108/

As for this location, see an old Stereoview of it taken by a British visitor here : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/3568076375/

I also have a nice 3-D shot of this by my favorite T. ENAMI, but I can't find it on my hard drive ! Boo Hoo (will find it later and post it). In the meantime, here's HALF of his stereoview : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2362346448/in/photostr...

LOOKING THROUGH AN UPPER TORII GATE OF O-SUWA SHINTO SHRINE, TO THE HILLS of OLD NAGASAKI, JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:21:48 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

I love this pic. It is taken in similar "looking-down-through-a torii" fashion as another stereoview taken elsewhere in Japan about 15 years earlier by an American photographer :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2497713601/

Note that the Shinto Shrine is called a [Buddhist] "Temple" in the original caption on the mount.

In the minds of the average Japanese, they were all the same thing anyway, and would just as soon pray at one or the other --- much like today. Very few Japanese, both then and now, have any real "faith" in either system of religion, and only go through the external motions in conformity to cultural custom --- the atheists joining in along with everybody else.

The division between the two is arbitrary according to the ignorance, superstition, or customs propounded. Birth Ceremonies are usually handled by the SHRINES, Deaths and funerals are handled by the TEMPLES. But if a women who usually prays at a SHINTO SHRINE is menstruating, the Shinto Priests won't let her in because they declare her "unclean" --- so, she will just head over the the BUDDHIST TEMPLE and pray the same prayers. And (if they paid any attention) will notice that their pantheon of gods will give then the same YES, NO, or COME BACK LATER answers no matter where they do their praying --- including any prayers offered up while sitting in the hot tub (or squatting over the loo) at home.

A look at 100s of ENGLISH CAPTIONS of old Japanese produced postcards from about 1905-1920 will equally call the above location depicted in the stereoview both a SHRINE and a TEMPLE.

Nobody really gave a damn, so the translations were quite loose.

In any event, the Shinto Religion really needs to loosen up with their "women are unclean because they menstruate" crap. Somebody should remind their chauvinist Kannushi (Shinto Priests) that this is the 21st Century.

I did notice that their Shrines are wired for ELECTRICITY, and that the priests have TELEVISIONS, and that they even use CELL PHONES, and DRIVE CARS (sometimes at the same time like everybody else). So, let's snap out of it boys, and adjust your petty little stone-age doctrines about women as well, and bring things into the MODERN WORLD.

Thanks !

COMMENTS #3, #4, and #5 below caused me to write the above caption.

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This above ca.1908-1912 stereoview image is attributed to H.D. Girdwood, photographer to Great Britain's King George and Queen Mary. Compared to 3-D images of Japan published in America by Underwood, Keystone, Kilburn, H.C. White and etc, the REALISTIC TRAVEL series of Japan by Girdwood is relatively rare.

I've picked out a dozen (plus) nice ones to give you an idea of Girdwoods style. He also photographed a few towns and odd subjects not seen in the work of other stereo-photographers.

There were several boxed set versions of these views featuring Japan, some having 100 views, and at least one boxed versions that included not only Japan, but also 3-D views of Korea, China, and various other locations in Asia.

Although I usually crop stereoviews for display on flickr, because of the relative rarity of Japan views on this mount, I'm throwing them up as they appear "out of the box" --- where you can see the original captions (some containing Typos) --- and the variation of some mount imprints.

The images are all real-photo sliver gelatin prints, cut apart, transposed, and glued down on the mounts.

GOD GETS A BATH in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:50:39 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

ALTERNATE TITLE : MAN BAPTIZES GOD !

I hope they gave Him a good scrubbing behind the ears while they were at it....

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Ca.1897-1900 T. ENAMI Glass Slide from a Stereoview.

ORIGINAL T. ENAMI TITLE : A god shrine has been carried out to sea of Shinagawa on the festival day.

This scene on the shores of TOKYO BAY shows another aspect of Japanese religious culture --- the concept that God gets dirty just like the rest of us, and needs an occasional scrub in the tub, or in this case a good dunk in the sea to get cleaned up !

They literally have their God(s) in a portable box (called an O-MIKOSHI), and have carried him into the surf...minus a surfboard or any SCUBA gear.

Before any of you Christians start laughing, There have been more than a few Westerners who have attempted to give their own God a bath on occasion. Here's two of 'em off the top of my head :

THE JEFFERSON BIBLE : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible

NOAH WEBSTER'S BIBLE...where he did away with some sacred Biblical wording that he considered ".....so offensive, especially to females, as to create a reluctance in young persons to attend Bible classes and schools, in which they are required to read passages which cannot be repeated without a blush....." : www.bible-researcher.com/webster.html

Given time, you can scrape enough dirt off the Stained Glass Windows and well-worn Church Pews to make Japanese Shintoists look more Christian than Southern Baptists !

If you are a BUDDHIST, and are easily offended by someone poking fun at your deeply held faith, please check out these nice old images of GOD IN A BOX....but don't read the captions !!!

www.flickr.com/search/?w=24443965@N08&q=God+in+a+Box+...

PS. If you are a ZEN Buddhist, you may read the captions, because you know that they are only words that are there but not there, because all is nothingness....GRASSHOPPER !!!

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Above lantern-slide image is from the vast and rare Photographic Collections of the PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM in Salem, Massachusetts. Posted by their kind permission for Enami’s 150th Birthday Anniversary Flickr Display. COPYRIGHT PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

pem.org/homepage/index.php

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peabody_Essex_Museum

www.esseximages.com/

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/3250768219/

A more in depth look at Enami and his photographic accomplishments is found on this Web page at the site dedicated to him : www.t-enami.org/services

HAIDEN, SHIBA TEMPLE in TOKYO

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:09:36 -0700

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Recently. I've been pretty down on religion in a few of my photo captions and comments (not without good reason, mind you), so I decided to REPENT, and post a a couple of Japanese Temple shots --- photos that I'd normally use to line the bottom of my bird cage.

I suppose this is good for personal discipline. Most every photo collector I know absolutely HATES "Shrine and Temple Views". Even Japanese photo collectors hate them. And yet, they sometimes fill half of the old photo albums from the Meiji era. Yuck. But now, I will rise ABOVE MY HATRED of such views, and dedicate some sacred flickr Kilobytes to them.

(.....I once bought, sight unseen, a 200-view 3-D set of Old Italy. It was by a well known Meiji-era publisher, and I assumed it would have great scenic and people views. After it arrived, to my horror I discovered that about 190 of the views were nothing but photographs of every Cathedral in Rome from every angle. The Spiritual side of me immediately knew that the photographer and publisher should have BOTH been taken out and shot......)

Anyway......let me go against my personality and better judgment, and try to say something NICE and FRIENDLY and POSITIVE about these old "Temple Views"...

(1) The colorists employed by the photo studios to paint such extreme waste of photographic paper were extremely talented.

(2) The pictures are in focus, well exposed, and well printed.

(3) The Architects that designed these repositories of superstition and national suppression were very talented.

(4) The carpenters and stone masons that could have been used elsewhere in the land to better effect did an admirable job with the most basic of tools that showed just how talented they were.

(5) The artistic woodcarvers and painters proved themselves to be some of the worlds greatest, in spite of the fact that government and religion pushed them into a rut, forcing them to carve, paint, and cut the SAME designs over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again at Temple after Temple after Temple after Temple after Temple after Temple after Temple after Temple.........

(6) Uhhhhhhh.........

That's enough. I think I'm going to go get a beer.

日下部金兵衛 (1841 - 1934)

TEMPLE GHOSTS

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:16:29 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

It is now January 2nd here in Japan, but the New Year festivals, eclectic rituals, popping in on family and relatives, and visits to the local shrines and temples are still going on.

Here on Okinawa, the Nami-no-Ue [Above the Waves] Shinto Shrine got so crowded in times past, the folks headed up the long stone steps had to be controlled with traffic signals !

But photographer T. ENAMI --- who was known for taking pictures of STEPS --- usually did his Temple photography when the coast was relatively clear, and people were few. And those few he included were usually posed.

However, here we have a bad case of slow-shutter blues. Enami seems to have been disappointed to discover (after getting back to Yokohama and developing the negative) that his subjects had fidgeted around to such a degree that their resulting blurriness ruined the stereoview.

HOW TO GET RID OF PEOPLE WHO CAN'T STAND STILL

Enami tried to fix the problem by hand using a pre-PhotoShop technique called CAREFULLY SCRATCHING EVERY BLURRY PERSON OUT OF THE PICTURE. If you do it right, you can get the scratched area to match the color and texture of the STONE STEPS --- ALMOST !

Enami's manipulation of the negative has left us with the eternal presence of TEMPLE GHOSTS, standing forever on the steps of this ancient landmark.

DETAIL : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/6618112215/

WHAT TEMPLE IS THIS ?

The mount has no descriptive caption under the image. At first glance, I thought it looked like the Yomeimon Gate in Nikko, but upon close inspection, the facade varies in too many places.

Thankfully, in the comments below, Flickr member Noel43 has come to the rescue (again), correctly identifying the location as the Nitenmon Gate, part of the Taiyuin Shrine at Nikko. Please drop down to see his comment, and a helpful link to an old Albumen print of the same.

Thanks, Noel !

ANOTHER ENAMI GHOST (Man on the LEFT in this Photo) : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2327829579/

MORE ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER : www.t-enami.org/

SEE MORE OF ENAMI'S CLASSIC IMAGES IN THIS FLICKr COLLECTION : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

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RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

ENAMI'S Temple Ghosts (Detail)

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:16:27 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

The above is a 3-D detail from THIS full stereoview :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/6618112351/in/photostr...

Due to the nature of the subject, and its distance from the stereo camera, the 3-D effect is almost ZERO.

However, the purpose of showing both left and right details together is not to produce DEPTH, but instead, to show the RETINAL RIVALRY brought on by Enami's imperfect attempt to match his "corrections" on both sides of the stereoview.

T. ENAMI --- who was known for taking pictures of STEPS --- usually did his Temple photography when the coast was relatively clear, and people were few. And those few he included were usually posed.

However, here we have a bad case of slow-shutter blues. Enami seems to have been disappointed to discover (after getting back to Yokohama and developing the negative) that his subjects had fidgeted around to such a degree that their resulting blurriness ruined the stereoview.

HOW TO GET RID OF PEOPLE WHO CAN'T STAND STILL

Enami tried to fix the problem by hand using a pre-PhotoShop technique called CAREFULLY SCRATCHING EVERY BLURRY PERSON OUT OF THE PICTURE. If you do it right, you can get the scratched area to match the color and texture of the STONE STEPS --- ALMOST !

ANOTHER ENAMI GHOST (Man on the LEFT in this Photo) : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2327829579/

MORE ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER : www.t-enami.org/

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RANDOM SOBA : www.flickriver.com/photos/24443965@N08/random/

BANGING A DRUM TO GET GOD'S ATTENTION in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:58:45 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

RAT-A-TAT-TAT...RAT-A-TAT-TAT...

If I was God, I'd have 32 Decibel reduction earplugs deeply inserted in my ear canals, topped off with BOSE Noise Reduction Headphones.

OPTICAL ILLUSION BONUS : Stare at the WHITE DRUM for 30 seconds, while noticing that the entire flickr page outside the photo has turned a LIGHT PINK !

Here's another one that's even WORSE ! : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2674139029/

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There are as many Shrines and Temples in Japan as there are fleas on a junkyard dog. In fact, the numbers probably rival the amount of Churches, Chapels, Synagogues, Temples, Shrines, Mosques, and Missions in the USA ! That is to say, we human beings --- no matter what our country and culture --- are a very religious life form.

In Japan, most of the Shrines and Temples I've seen make an effort to accommodate nature in many varied and picturesque ways.

In the USA, it is not uncommon these days for places of religious worship to bulldoze a 200-meter perimeter around any structure, pave over the land with a big parking lot, and plant some token grass on any spots left over.

There is even one Church in Garden Grove, California that is made almost entirely of Glass. These folks have more faith than most, as they built their "Crystal Cathedral" right on top of a major earthquake zone !

Of course, the entire nation of Japan is one big fat earthquake zone. And based on what has happened to them repeatedly in the past, gives the Japanese great faith in the faithfulness of earthquakes --- and all of the forces of nature --- to eventually bring down what man has created.

Not too long ago in Okinawa, police were called to divert traffic around three old ladies who were worshiping and appeasing spirits as they sat on the asphalt in the middle lane of the three north-bound lanes of Highway 58.

A fortune-telling Shaman had told them that one of their long-lost ancestors had met his end there in some unfortunate manner long before written history began (or the road was built), and that they must go there and pray for the release of his Spirit.

In any other nation, the police would have dragged them out of the road. But here, the police understood the precedence of both the gods and culture over the laws of man.

So, as those in the middle lane were directed by the police to merge left or right in order to get around the old women who were caught up in prayer, the traffic backed up for miles.

Okinawa Soba, who is a complete agnostic (read : back-slidden atheist), thought the whole affair was rather cool.

Where else in the world could three elderly ladies in their 80s and 90s walk unmolested into three lanes of heavy traffic, part the vehicles like Charlton Heston parted the Red Sea, and get Police cooperation in backing up a combined one million horsepower of revving engines made by the arrogance of man and his machines ?

Like I said, it was pretty cool.

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For more on the photographer T. ENAMI see : www.t-enami.org/

For the MOTHERLODE of T. Enami photographs here on the Web --- all CC rated for your creative use --- see this Flickr collection : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

TOSSING ANOTHER STONE ON FOR GOOD LUCK in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:58:13 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Okinawa Soba has done the same thing many times in Japan --- though not for religious or superstitious reasons.

In my case, it was tossing stones up onto the top cross-beam of a Shinto TORII GATE --- a natural response to the challenge it presented.

I am quite sure that the stones I successfully landed on the various Torii Gates throughout Japan were later knocked off by other stones, tossed up by legions of other "faithful" who came after me.

If would consider myself "lucky" if one of my little pebbles came down later, and bopped somebody on the head.

Ahhh, such a satisfying thought.... ;-)

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There are as many Shrines and Temples in Japan as there are fleas on a junkyard dog. In fact, the numbers probably rival the amount of Churches, Chapels, Synagogues, Temples, Shrines, Mosques, and Missions in the USA ! That is to say, we human beings --- no matter what our country and culture --- are a very religious life form.

In Japan, most of the Shrines and Temples I've seen make an effort to accommodate nature in many varied and picturesque ways.

In the USA, it is not uncommon these days for places of religious worship to bulldoze a 200-meter perimeter around any structure, pave over the land with a big parking lot, and plant some token grass on any spots left over.

There is even one Church in Garden Grove, California that is made almost entirely of Glass. These folks have more faith than most, as they built their "Crystal Cathedral" right on top of a major earthquake zone !

Of course, the entire nation of Japan is one big fat earthquake zone. And based on what has happened to them repeatedly in the past, gives the Japanese great faith in the faithfulness of earthquakes --- and all of the forces of nature --- to eventually bring down what man has created.

Not too long ago in Okinawa, police were called to divert traffic around three old ladies who were worshiping and appeasing spirits as they sat on the asphalt in the middle lane of the three north-bound lanes of Highway 58.

A fortune-telling Shaman had told them that one of their long-lost ancestors had met his end there in some unfortunate manner long before written history began (or the road was built), and that they must go there and pray for the release of his Spirit.

In any other nation, the police would have dragged them out of the road. But here, the police understood the precedence of both the gods and culture over the laws of man.

So, as those in the middle lane were directed by the police to merge left or right in order to get around the old women who were caught up in prayer, the traffic backed up for miles.

Okinawa Soba, who is a complete agnostic (read : back-slidden atheist), thought the whole affair was rather cool.

Where else in the world could three elderly ladies in their 80s and 90s walk unmolested into three lanes of heavy traffic, part the vehicles like Charlton Heston parted the Red Sea, and get Police cooperation in backing up a combined one million horsepower of revving engines made by the arrogance of man and his machines ?

Like I said, it was pretty cool.

*******************************************

For more on the photographer T. ENAMI see : www.t-enami.org/

For the MOTHERLODE of T. Enami photographs here on the Web --- all CC rated for your creative use --- see this Flickr collection : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

A SOUVENIR SELLER AT A COUNTRY SHRINE in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:57:53 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

The long-handled bamboo cups are used for both ritual cleansing of hands, and drinking from the sacred fonts.

Notice the other goodies for sale as well.

If you really want to acquire a pile of holy relics, visit any big shrine or temple over the New Years holiday. Souvenirs galore !

*******************************************

There are as many Shrines and Temples in Japan as there are fleas on a junkyard dog. In fact, the numbers probably rival the amount of Churches, Chapels, Synagogues, Temples, Shrines, Mosques, and Missions in the USA ! That is to say, we human beings --- no matter what our country and culture --- are a very religious life form.

In Japan, most of the Shrines and Temples I've seen make an effort to accommodate nature in many varied and picturesque ways.

In the USA, it is not uncommon these days for places of religious worship to bulldoze a 200-meter perimeter around any structure, pave over the land with a big parking lot, and plant some token grass on any spots left over.

There is even one Church in Garden Grove, California that is made almost entirely of Glass. These folks have more faith than most, as they built their "Crystal Cathedral" right on top of a major earthquake zone !

Of course, the entire nation of Japan is one big fat earthquake zone. And based on what has happened to them repeatedly in the past, gives the Japanese great faith in the faithfulness of earthquakes --- and all of the forces of nature --- to eventually bring down what man has created.

Not too long ago in Okinawa, police were called to divert traffic around three old ladies who were worshiping and appeasing spirits as they sat on the asphalt in the middle lane of the three north-bound lanes of Highway 58.

A fortune-telling Shaman had told them that one of their long-lost ancestors had met his end there in some unfortunate manner long before written history began (or the road was built), and that they must go there and pray for the release of his Spirit.

In any other nation, the police would have dragged them out of the road. But here, the police understood the precedence of both the gods and culture over the laws of man.

So, as vehicles approaching in the middle lane were directed by the police to merge left or right in order to get around the old women who were caught up in prayer, the traffic backed up for miles.

Okinawa Soba, who is a complete agnostic (read : back-slidden atheist), thought the whole affair was rather cool.

Where else in the world could three elderly ladies in their 80s and 90s walk unmolested into three lanes of heavy traffic, part the vehicles like ~~Charlton Heston~~ Moses parted the Red Sea, and get Police cooperation in backing up a combined one million horsepower of revving engines made by the arrogance of man and his machines ?

Like I said, it was pretty cool.

********************************************

For more on the photographer T. ENAMI see : www.t-enami.org/

For the MOTHERLODE of T. Enami photographs here on the Web --- all CC rated for your creative use --- see this Flickr collection : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

GALS WITH GUMPTION AND GOOD GETA GLIDE ACROSS THE TIDAL FLATS TO GET TO THE CAVE AT ENOSHIMA in OLD JAPAN 江の島

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:05:38 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Nice weather and low tides cooperate to allow these Japanese women to walk across the flats to approach the natural stone ascent to the cave's wood-and-bamboo access trail built a few feet abouve the high water mark.

At high water, small boats would bring the faithful, and the photographers, to this location which could not be seen from the shore of the mainland as you looked out across the sand bar.

The cave entrance would be off frame to your right. Turning 90 degrees from the photo above, you would see something like this :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/4184911895/

Note that the linked photo was taken on another time when the tide was higher. At such times, visitors were brought in by small boats --- just as they are today....in the 21st century. Yes, you can still come here and go in the same cave. Time travel, anyone ?

Ca.1892-95, hand-tinted albumen print by T. ENAMI. www.t-enam.org/

FOR MORE OF T.ENAMI'S VISION OF OLD JAPAN, SEE HIS COLLECTION HERE :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

VISITORS ON THE FRAIL APPROACH TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE CAVE AT ENOSHIMA --- Off The Beaten Path in OLD JAPAN 江の島

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:06:20 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

As the tides rose and fell, and the sea swells from violent typhoons pounded this hidden feature that faced the open sea on the back-side of Enoshima, the rickety walkway that brought the faithful to offer their prayers to the god of the sea was perhaps more ephemeral than the photos taken of it.

Photos taken over time show the endless rebuilding of this only way of accessing the cave above the waves and tidal pools.

19th Century, hand-tinted albumen print. Photographer unknown to me.

GUESS WHAT'S ON TOP OF THIS CLIFF, JUST OUT OF FRAME AT TOP OF PHOTO ?

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2454239554/

THE ISLAND OF ENOSHIMA FROM THE SHORE --- Looking Across the Sand Bar in OLD JAPAN 江の島

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:05:21 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

It was a misty day when T. ENAMI arrived to take this shot in the overcast light of a quiet afternoon.

Perhaps this is one of the photos he took before crossing the sand bar, and going around to the back side of the island to shoot the tidal flats, and the cave interior.

He also climbed to the upper cliffs above the cave, and shot at least one image along the trails --- that showing a small souvenir kiosk.

But at the moment, the island's edges are going soft, and the sharp outline of the pines on the right slope are fading fast as the fog rolls in to envelop the scene.

Only a few fisherman with nothing to do, and two women who might be taking a break from their work at a nearby Inn, stroll for a few minutes on the nearly deserted sand bar that connects the island to the shore.

This photo is now about 115 years old.

Enami's Yokohama neighbor and illustrious photographer, KIMBEI KUSAKABE, was by here on an earlier day, and caught the island in a sharper light under the sun...as well as a rustic group who struck a close pose for his camera :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/3686384496/

Here's a nice 1896 Stereoview taken from up behind the village you see over there, looking back to where Enami would have been standing :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2497713601/

Hate these old photos, and prefer something more up to date ? Ok.

TODAY : www.flickr.com/photos/gurobuturotta/164214768/

Been there. Done that.

At least you don't have to walk across sand bar, now

God Forbid that Japan would let their modern day citizens get their shoes dirty !

FOR MORE OF T.ENAMI'S VISION OF OLD JAPAN, SEE HIS COLLECTION HERE :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

LOOKING OUT FROM THE CAVE AT ENOSHIMA in OLD JAPAN 江の島

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:06:34 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Another 19th Century view from inside the sea cave of Enoshima. The fragile walkway is more visible here, and is the path taken by those who entered to worship at the Shrine at the back of the cave :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/4185670494/

Hand-tinted albumen print. Photographer unknown to me.

GUESS WHAT'S RIGHT OVER YOUR HEAD ON TOP OF THE CLIFF ?

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2454239554/

Photos that have you looking through caves or ice tunnel are personal favorites, especially in 3-D !

江の島明治時代明治

THE INNER SANCTUM OF THE INNER CAVE OF ENOSHIMA in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:05:57 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

Looking to the small Shinto Shrine at the very back of the Cave of Enoshima. 江の島

If you turn around, this is what you would see behind you :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/4185672920/

To get a grasp of relative sizes, there is a man sitting up on the sloping rock shelf to the right, and two women are kneeling in prayer at the Shrine.

Ca.1892-95 hand-tinted albumen print by T. ENAMI. www.t-enami.org/

FOR MORE OF T. ENAMI'S VISION OF OLD JAPAN, SEE HIS COLLECTION HERE :

www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

WALKING WITH GOD in OLD JAPAN

nobody@flickr.com (Okinawa Soba) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:50:45 -0800

Okinawa Soba posted a photo:

After Miss Peaknuckle --- a newly-arrived Missionary with the "Amalgamated Tax Exempt Christian Missions World Church of Salvation Incorporated" --- told her Sunday School students in Yokohama that they must learn to walk with God, the obedient kids headed straight over to the local Shrine, put god in a box, and hit the road.

Miss Peaknuckle is back in Japanese Language Class today, hoping that next week, things like this will not be "lost in translation".

The above is another fine Taisho-era study in faces by Japanese photographer T. ENAMI. Images like this are a far cry from his conservative studio and scenic work of the Meiji era. However, even in the late 1890s, he was already freeing himself from the traditional formats and styles of posing subjects that still had a grip on his contemporaries.

Use the ALL SIZES button for a nice look at this very free and happy shot from old Japan.

Lots more T. ENAMI photos here : www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/collections/7215761388...

A serious look at the photographer here : www.t-enami/org